Why do thieves love old Honda Accords?

The National Insurance Crime Bureau put out its annual lists of most popular stolen cars this week, and Honda Accords and Civics from the ‘90s once again topped the lists. Why the lasting thief love for 20-year-old relics?

Karl Newman, president of Seattle-based NW Insurance Council, had some answers. He said the cars are easy to steal, compared with newer models that feature modern anti-theft technology. And old Accords and Civics often still run well, even after racking up 200,000 miles.

That means there’s still a lot of them around in contrast to, say, old Dodges and Chevies.

“They have a high resale value, and they go forever,” Newman said. That means the cars’ parts also have a high market value. As the odometers of the cars hit 300,000 miles or so, they’ll eventually conk out, and a new group of coveted cars will take their place.

Tricked-out Toyotas and Hondas are also favorites among street racers. “You don’t see lot of Dodge Spirits in the racing world,” he said.

Nationally, auto theft has been on the decline. But it continues to be a problem in major cities in Washington, according to NICB. Car thefts in the Seattle area increased by nearly 19 percent from 2008 to 2010, and Spokane ranked fourth highest in the nation for auto theft rates.